Glove - Selection Guide
Hand
Safety - Glove Selection
Protect your Hands with Proper Glove
Glove selection is a important step in
preventing one of our most common types of injury. If properly selected, a glove can offer
adequate protection without hindering our ability to perform our tasks.
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Hazard Assessment
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Should be conducted on
a Job Safety Analysis or Task Safety Analysis form
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Involve all Supervisor and
employees who perform the task
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Should focus on a
particular task
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Prioritize Needs
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If tools, blocking,
guarding, or other effective controls cannot eliminate the hazard then hand
protection is needed.
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Use the “Glove Needs
Assessment & Selection” tool to gather and prioritize needs.
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This is a
collaborative process involves the employees who perform the work.
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Ideally, gloves are
selected which offer the highest protection while still allowing the wearer to
perform their job unencumbered.
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There is no single
glove that offers every kind of protection and performance need.
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Manufacturer’s now
offer some gloves that do offer more than one primary form of protection, such
as cut resistance and puncture resistance.
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There are often
tradeoffs between protection & performance.
Higher levels of protection sometimes results in lower dexterity and
vice-versa. Both factors are equally
important in ensuring employees can perform their job well and safely.
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Ignoring the
importance of dexterity in a task will result in employees taking their gloves
off to perform a task that requires hand protection
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If the hazard poses
potential for high severity injuries, a glove with greater protection takes
precedence over dexterity.
•
If the hazards are
lower in severity such as nicks, scrapes, and pokes and high dexterity is
needed, then a glove with the index finger and thumb tip removed may offer the
best solution.
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Identify the right glove
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If the gloves there do
not meet your needs, look at other manufacturer’s offerings and request your
choice be added .
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Engage employees,
similar sites and programs, and safety professionals to ensure the right
selection is made
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Preparing to order
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Determine what sizes
the gloves are offered in. Some may
offer S, M, or L others use numerical sizing such as 5, 6, or 7.
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Locate a sizing chart
for the glove through the manufacturer.
•
Gather sizes and
quantity info from employees. The glove
must fit properly in order to do the job well and safely.
•
Place order.
Ensure the gloves are certified.
